GIANT Buck From Evans County

Word was spreading quickly around southeast Georgia that a jaw-dropping buck had hit the ground on the evening of Oct. 16. The hunter, Mikell Fries, of Claxton, said his giant Evans County bow-killed buck had 25 points and scored out at an amazing 224 6/8 inches.

"He has cost me a pile of sleep, I’ve been watching him for two years," said Mikell.

Mikell said he shot the 25-pointer in a staging area with acorns and corn present. Although Mikell’s buck is certainly something to brag about for years, this velvet-antlered deer won’t be eligible for Boone & Crockett scoring.

"He is missing one testicle and never dropped his antlers last year, and everything he grew this year just came out everywhere," said Mikell.

When one or more testes don’t descend into the scrotum of a deer, the condition is called, “cryptorchidism.” The result of this condition in a deer is a lower-than-normal level of testosterone, which means antlers don’t go through normal cycles. Antlers on these deer grow in odd shapes, the velvet remains year-round, and the antlers go on growing without being shed.

Despite the fact that Mikell’s buck won’t be entered into the record books certainly doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s one of the largest velvet bucks GON has ever seen.